My Background

Why I Became A Psychotherapist

My first exposure to psychology was through reading the science fiction story Flowers for Algernon, which is about a cognitively impaired man who undergoes experimental surgery to increase his intelligence. In this story, the main character is given a variety of psychological assessments including the Rorschach Test, which requires the subject to interpret what he sees in inkblots, and the Thematic Apperception Test, which requires the subject to make up stories about pictures. As a young adolescent reading this story, I was struck by the tests. I wanted to learn how to give the tests and I wanted to take the tests myself. The idea of studying people on an individual level was intriguing to me, as well as I wanted to learn more about myself. I was drawn to therapy as an investigative and mechanically inclined person, in that I like to open people up and see how they work. If I wasn't a therapist, I think I'd want to be an architectural engineer. 

I sought therapy of my own volition for the first time when I was fourteen-years-old. I have been in therapy on-and-off since then, going for years at a time and taking breaks lasting months to years in between. I believe that my own experience as a client makes me a better therapist because I understand firsthand what it's like to be uncomfortable and overcome the resistance to change. I understand how grueling therapy can be. I understand that change happens gradually and with hard work in between sessions, not effortlessly and instantly in an epiphany moment in the session itself. For me, therapy is not a means to an end, but rather a continuous and evolving part of my life, and it's the process itself that I value the most. 

My Educational History

I attended Western Michigan University for two years and majored in English. I split my concentration between creative writing and rhetorical writing, unsure of my preference. For my third year of undergrad, I transferred to the College of Creative Studies. I applied as a fine arts major but switched to advertising/copywriting in my second semester. For my fourth year of undergrad, I transferred to Wayne State University and switched my major back to English. As an English major, I studied early and late British literature as well as post-modern literature, and I took creative writing workshops in various genres including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and playwriting. Following undergrad, I attended Wayne State University Law School on a full tuition merit-based scholarship. I left after one year and entered the Counseling Psychology master's program at Wayne State University. During my master's program, I participated in a variety of practicum experiences such as giving play therapy (with children) and family therapy in a community mental health setting and individual therapy with college students in a university setting, as well as giving psychological assessments (i.e. personality testing, IQ testing) in-home to children, adolescents, and adults. I split my internship between working in a private practice setting focusing on clients with sex addiction and working in a general private practice setting. For my master's thesis, I wrote a review of research on eating disorders, and I incorporate this knowledge into holistic disordered eating treatment. I graduated with my master's degree in 2019 and have been working in private practice since graduation. 

What I Like To Do Besides Therapy

I enjoy all parts of making food: learning about nutrition, grocery shopping, prepping, and cooking. I love to exercise and I do it everyday. Each week I split my focus between cardio, strength-building, and stretching/mobility depending on what I need. Specifically I enjoy weightlifting, indoor cycling, running outside on a track, yoga, and Pilates. I like to read books on psychology, Greek mythology, and finance as well as I enjoy fiction and auto-fiction. My favorite writers include Yukio Mishima, Bret Easton Ellis, Tao Lin, and Haruki Murakami. I read the Wall Street Journal every weekday and especially look forward to the weekend edition. I like to play video games, especially platformers and ARPGs (Diablo 4 is my current favorite) and racing games (such as Forza). I'm married and spend a lot of time with my husband.